Municipality of the District of Lunenburg: A Case Study in Climate Change Adaptation

Project Need:

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is one of 13 Nova Scotia municipalities that has participated in the Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions (ACAS) initiative. It was recognized that there was a need for government and non-government partners to work collaboratively to help Atlantic Canadian communities build adaptive capacity to meet the challenges of climate change. Of particular importance is the need to develop a better understanding of the vulnerability of the natural and built environment of the Yarmouth coast to future sea level rise and storm surge flooding and the impacts on valued social assets and vulnerable populations. Such understanding cannot be derived simply from single-topic projects but rather from interdisciplinary approaches that attempt to bring together the multiple facets of climate change and its impacts on the natural, physical, social and economic structure of communities

Project Objectives:

This project represents a collection of sub-projects that were carried out by the Dalhousie University School of Planning using information and the setting of the Lunenburg area. The objectives were to generate a municipal case study that provides useful information and perspectives within the following areas: Sea level rise scenarios Infrastructure Social assets Social vulnerability Municipal capacity to adapt

Project Benefits:

The information and findings of the studies will be useful to the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg in the development of its Municipal Climate Change Action Plan and in building adaptive capacity through land use and development policies and practices. It will also contribute to prioritizing actions to address infrastructure and assets at risk and support populations who are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The studies also serve as examples for other municipalities of the information needs and methods to identify hazards, risks and vulnerabilities, particularly as they relate to coastal climate change impacts. Other adaptation researchers and practitioners may wish to test the methods employed in these projects. Overall, the findings of the projects contribute to the growing body of information and knowledge about climate change impacts in coastal communities, their significance for natural and built environment assets, the potential implications for vulnerable populations, and the capacity of local government to protect its citizens and existing valued assets and direct future land use and development in anticipation of a retreating coastline and more extensive coastal flooding.

Partner(s):

Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Dalhousie University School of Planning, Climate Change Directorate, Nova Scotia Department of Environment

Project Deliverables

The project deliverables are separate reports on each of the topics that were investigated, including: Background information on the Lunenburg area Local sea level rise and storm surge flood scenarios for the years 2025 and 2100 Spatial analysis of the extent and types of physical infrastructure potentially impacted by sea level rise and storm surges under the worst case scenarios Identifying social assets vulnerable to climate change impacts. Valuation of assets by Analysis of social vulnerability Municipal capacity to adapt to climate change

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is one of 13 Nova Scotia municipalities that has participated in the Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions (ACAS) initiative. It was recognized that there was a need for government and non-government partners to work collaboratively to help Atlantic Canadian communities build adaptive capacity to meet the challenges of climate change. Of particular importance is the need to develop a better understanding of the vulnerability of the natural and built environment of the Yarmouth coast to future sea level rise and storm surge flooding and the impacts on valued social assets and vulnerable populations. Such understanding cannot be derived simply from single-topic projects but rather from interdisciplinary approaches that attempt to bring together the multiple facets of climate change and its impacts on the natural, physical, social and economic structure of communities, This project represents a collection of sub-projects that were carried out by the Dalhousie University School of Planning using information and the setting of the Lunenburg area. The objectives were to generate a municipal case study that provides useful information and perspectives within the following areas:
Sea level rise scenarios
Infrastructure
Social assets
Social vulnerability
Municipal capacity to adapt, The project deliverables are separate reports on each of the topics that were investigated, including:
Background information on the Lunenburg area
Local sea level rise and storm surge flood scenarios for the years 2025 and 2100
Spatial analysis of the extent and types of physical infrastructure potentially impacted by sea level rise and storm surges under the worst case scenarios
Identifying social assets vulnerable to climate change impacts.
Valuation of assets by
Analysis of social vulnerability
Municipal capacity to adapt to climate change, The information and findings of the studies will be useful to the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg in the development of its Municipal Climate Change Action Plan and in building adaptive capacity through land use and development policies and practices. It will also contribute to prioritizing actions to address infrastructure and assets at risk and support populations who are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. The studies also serve as examples for other municipalities of the information needs and methods to identify hazards, risks and vulnerabilities, particularly as they relate to coastal climate change impacts. Other adaptation researchers and practitioners may wish to test the methods employed in these projects. Overall, the findings of the projects contribute to the growing body of information and knowledge about climate change impacts in coastal communities, their significance for natural and built environment assets, the potential implications for vulnerable populations, and the capacity of local government to protect its citizens and existing valued assets and direct future land use and development in anticipation of a retreating coastline and more extensive coastal flooding.

The purpose of this study was to facilitate the incorporation of the social value of community assets into climate change adaptation planning. Through a survey of residents and interviews with local decision makers, this study identified social assets in the District of Lunenburg

The project explores the capacity of the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg to respond proactively to coastal impacts of climate change induced sea-level rise and more frequent extreme weather events. This project was conducted over the summer of 2011 and included a review

The Municipality of the District of Lunenburg is one of 13 municipalities in Nova Scotia that participated in the Atlantic Climate Adaptation Solutions (ACAS) initiative. ACAS involves government and non-government partners working collaboratively to help Atlantic Canadian commun

This study generates nine predictions of sea level rise and extreme water levels for the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia: three predictions for the year 2025 and six predictions for the year 2100.

This project identifies the types and amount of hard and soft infrastructure at risk in the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg due to inundation and flooding from predicted relative sea level rise and extreme storm surge for the years 2025 and 2100.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate social vulnerability to climate change impacts in the Municipality of the District of Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. The study assesses the prevalence of characteristics that contribute to the social vulnerability of individuals and households,

This Report identifies the principal climate change issues as identified by this municipality, and why it is important for local units to be able to more adequately respond to these issues in the future. The implications of coastal flooding and storm surges may be seen as the mos